Antiskid device for automobiles



22, 1933- R. o. COUCH ET AL 1,923,190

ANTISKID DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed July 10, 1931 INVENTORS. D R0. COUCH- BY (1 l W22? 7 ATT RNEYS.

Patented Aug. 22, 1933 UNITED STATES PATEN OFFICE ANTISKID DEVICE FOR AUTOMOBILES meal 0. Couch, Grant, and m n. mama. llelbourne, Fla.

Application July 10, 1931.

Serial No. 549,906

4 Claims. (01. ce-s) may readily be made operative upon the surfaceofaroadatthewillofthedriverofanautomo- 1 bile without injury to the road surface. atany time The object of the invention is to provide such an arrangement of parts that the anti-skid effect ofsuchpartswillbeofmaximumeiiiciency,wi1l

w beundercompleteoontrolofthedriver ofacar, -andwilleausenoiniurytotheroadsurfacewhen in operation or at any other time. Afurther ob? lust of the invention is to provide an anti-skid device which will be operative only at times when m an automobile is likehr to skid because of the sudden application of the brakes to stop the rotation of the wheels. Owing to the-angular mounting of the anti-skid devices or disks they will act only when a side slipping otthe car actually occurs.

.5 Provision is therefore made to cause the antiskid, device to become operative when the brake isappliedifthedriverofthecarsodesires. H

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which may be applied not only to the .30 rear. wheels but to the forward wheels of a car,

although the particular embodiment of the invention herein is illustrated and described only in connection with the rear wheels of an autoas For a detailed description of one form of our invention which we at present deem preferable,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of our improved antiskiddeviceattachedtotherearaxleandshowing as said axle in section taken substantially upon the lineHofl'ls. 1;

HgJisaviewsimilartoFlg. 2,butshowing and activating connected with the parts adjacent the driver's seat; and

Pig. sis adetailview of the means for connecting the brake pedal and lever with the anti-skid w Referringtothedrawing,thenumeral1indicates the housing which usually encloses the diiferentialgearswherebytbelongitudinaltransmission shaft is connected with the rearaxle. Asisusualinsuchcaseathehousing extends laterally in the form of hollowtubes indicated at ,2 and carries the driving axle 3, which isconnectedwiththewheeliintheusualmanner.

0n the housing l there is pivoted, as at 5, a

pair of transversely extending arms or supports 6and6,whichmaybemadeinanysuitablc form, andon the ends of-which are carried rotatable circular disks '1 and '1', which may be I rotatably connected with the ends of the arms 6 g. and 6' by any suitable means, such as the nut 8. These disks are preferably slightly cupped andaremadeinamanneraimilartodisksordinarily employed in agricultural implements, such 70 asharrows,andareprovidedwithaharporangularedgeasothattheymayreadilyengagethe road surface or the surfaceof ice orotherslippery material. On the tubular portions 2 of the housing for the rear axle are annular collars 9 7 and 9' which are nxed in positionthereon in any suitable way, and are provided with upwardly and downwardly extending brackets or arms 10, 10' and ll, 11'. The arms 10 and 10' have pivoted thereto connecting rods or links a. 12, the outer ends of which are pivoted to lugs carriedbyeollarsISsurrounrlingthesupporting arms 6, 6'. forthe disks '7 and 'l'.

Thelinkslzosciilateabouttheendsofarms 10 and 10' through comparatively small angles as and the slight longitudinal movements of the collars 18 and'the-supporting arms (land 6' are provided for by the resiliency of the parts and byslightloosenessoithebearingsofsaidarms atthepivots5,whichdoesnotneedtobeciosely fitted to said bearings. Otherwise, a skilled mechanicmayeasilyovercomeanysuchadifliculty if it should arise. v -Theupperilxedarm11maybeplvotedtoa bellcrankleversuchas l4, onearmofwhichia pivoted to the connecting rod or link 15, which latierisalsopivotedtothelugonthecollaris. It willnow be seen that the rearwardlyextending arm of the bell crank lever 14, the rearwardly extending link 12. and the connecting rod or link serveto guide and cause the upward and downward motion of the supporting arms 6 and 6' around their pivot 5. The connecting rod 12, being pivoted to the iixed arm 10'. serves to prevent the support 8 and 8' from moving rearwardly when the disks are in contactwith the ground and the car is traveling forward, thus preventing undue strain on the pivots for the su rts 6 and 6'. The opposite armof'beil erankleverlihasapivoiedconnectionwithalle connecting rod or link 16, the forward end of which is connected with a straight double arm lever 17 pivoted on brackets 19 carried by the chassis or other convenient part of the body of the car. The right hand lever 17 has no upwardly extending arm, but is connected with the rod 20, which forms the pivot 18' and also the pivot 18 so that when the lever 17 is operated the lever 1'! will also be operated in thesame way. The upper arm of the lever 17 is pivotally attached to a rod 21 which extends forward beneath the car and is provided on. its

forward end with a suitable connection 22 hereinafter referred to.

The rod 21 is also provided with guides 24, through which it passes, said rod 21 carrying a spring 25, one end of which rests against the fixed collar 26 on the rod 21. The pressure of the spring 25 against the collar 26 will obviously tend to move the rod 21 toward the left and by reason of its connection with the other parts above described, will tend to raise the supportsfiandfi'andthedisks'land'l'totheir retracted positions, which positions they assume when not in use. The force of the spring should be such as to hold the disks in their retracted positions and yet require only a slight opposing force to lower the disks to their operative positions on the road surface.

The numeral 27 indicates a foot pedal of the usual type connected with the braking system of a car, the same being pivoted as at 28, and provided with a bracket 23 in which is fixed a laterally projecting pin 23'. This foot pedal in the present instance is used to operate the anti-skid device, and such operation is made active by the use of a knob or other suitable device, preferably located on the instrument board. 28.

To this end a suitable bracket 29 is provided having at its lower end a pin 30 about which the lever 31 may oscillate angularly and also slide longitudinally, which sliding motion may be accomplished through the slot 32.

The rearward end of the lever or bar 31 is provided with a slot 33 having oflset portion 34 providing a notch within which the laterally projecting pin 23' may rest. The rearward end of the lever 31 carries the connecting part '22 above referred to, in this case the rod 2 having an end 22 extending downward and retained in connection with the lever 31 by the eye 22'. The lever or bar 31 is pivotally connected with a rod 35 extending vertically'at the rear of the dashboard 36, and its upper end is pivotally connected with the bell crank lever 37. The upper arm of the bell crank lever 3'1 is provided with a slot which engages a pin 38 carried on a rod 39 extending through asuitable bearing in the instrument board 44. The rod 39 is provided with a suitable device,-such as a notched collar 40, and a resilient stop device:

41 for holding the rod 39 in two positions, as indicated in Fig. 3. The red 3915 provided with a suitable knob or handle 42 for reciprocating said rod.

It will now be apparent that when the knob 42 I car may travel forward or backward without regard to the anti-skid device.

When it is desired to cause the anti-skid device to come into operation, as when the car is traveling over wet or slippery roads, the driver of the car may pull out the knob 42 which operates the bell crank lever 37 and raises them 35 to cause the pin 23 to enter the notch 34. The depression of the right hand end of the lever 31 is permitted by the part 22 on the rod 21 when the connection 22 is slidable, as indicated. Thereafter, a movement of the pedal 27 will be accompanied by a forward motion of the rod 21 against the tension of the. spring 25, and thus will serve tolower the anti-skid disks 7 and 7' into contact with the road as long as said pedal 2'lis depressed. When the driver's foot is removed from the pedal 27 the spring 25 will operate to raise the disks out of contact with the road surface, and the car may then proceed until the brakes are again applied. A small spring 43 connected with the bracket 29 serves tohold the slotted bar 3!. in its normal position with reference to the pivoted pin 30 in the slot 32'.

From the above description it will be appreciated that the principal object of the present invention is accomplished in a practical manner by having the inclined supports for the disks pivoted near the center of the body of the car, as on the rear axle housing so that they extend laterally toward the wheels at angles to the road surface. With such an arrangement the disks are not forced into the road surface unless the car should skid or side slip, in which case the angular mounting of the disks and the weight of the car itself provides the necessary pressure on the road surface to force the disks into positive contact therewith to prevent motion in lateral directions. Thus the force of contact of the disks with the road surface is independent of the acinglimited to the details of construction and arrangement of parts, for various changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention as set forth in the appended claims.

What we claim and desire to protect by Letters Patent is: I

1. In an anti-skid apparatus for automobiles,

having disks or similar devices adapted to be raised and lowered and to engage a road surface, the improvement which comprises inclined supports pivoted at one end to a fixed part of the car structure, rotatable disks having sharp edges, carried on the outer ends of said supports at right angles thereto and means for raising and lowering said inclined suppor s.

2. In an anti-skid apparatus for automobiles. having disks or similar devices adapted to be raised and lowered and to engage a road surface, the improvement which comprises inclined supports pivoted at one end to a fixed part of the car structure, rotatable discs carried on the outer ends of said supports means for raising and lowering said supportaand a lever adjacent the operator's position and with which said means are adapted to be operatively connected to control the position of said disks.

3. In an anti-skid apparatus for automobiles, having disks or similar devices adapted to be raised and lowered and to engage a road surface. the improvement which comprises lateral supports carried'by a fixed part or the car structure, means for raising and lowering said supports, a brake pedal connected with the brake devices of the car and normally out of engagemeat board of the car ior causing said brake devieestoeonnectwith thenrstnamedmeansand means to counterbalance the weight 01' said in clined supports and attached parts. to normally hold said anti-skid apparatus in inoperative position when disconnected from said brake devices.

4. In an anti-skid apparatus for automobiles, havingdisksadaptedtoberaisedandlowered ,tooperate on a road surface. the improvement and lowering means, a bar having a detachable connecting device therein and designed to en.- gagesaidlastnamedpart,andamanusllyslid+ able member to be grasped by the operator'to cause said connecting device to engage said part whereby said anti-skid apparatus is operated simultaneously with said brake devices.

ROYDEN O. COUCH. LEO B. ESCHBACH. 

